Frequently Asked Questions

Need help with your Whole30, or just kicking the tires? We’ve got all your answers here.

The Whole30 is a 30-day elimination program established in 2009 by co-founder Melissa Urban. The program combines the power of a carefully-structured elimination and reintroduction protocol with behavior change research, and has helped millions of people around the world improve their cravings, energy, sleep, digestion, inflammation, chronic pain, and other unwanted symptoms. The Whole30 is designed to help you identify the foods that may be having a negative impact on your cravings, metabolism and blood sugar regulation, digestion, and immune system. Armed with this knowledge, you can then create a sustainable, personalized diet based on your unique body, so you can feel and live your best. The Whole30 offers two different tracks: the Original Whole30 and the Plant-Based Whole30.

Both programs offer a 30-day elimination and structured reintroduction period, with the goal of identifying food sensitivities, creating new habits, and restoring a healthy relationship with food. The Original and Plant-Based Whole30 programs differ only in their protein and fat sources, and in the length of time the programs have been available. The Original Whole30 includes high-quality animal protein and encourages the use of some animal fats while eliminating legumes, including peanuts and soy. Click here to read the Original Whole30 Program Rules. The Plant-Based Whole30 does not include any animal protein and fats. It uses beans, lentils, peas, soy, compatible protein powders, nuts, and seeds to ensure adequate protein; and includes only plant-based fat sources. Click here to read the Plant-Based Whole30 Program Rules.

If you are comfortable eating two animal protein sources (like eggs and salmon, or all varieties of fish and shellfish), we’d encourage you to complete the Original Whole30, utilizing compatible plant-based protein sources (like a pea-based vegan “chorizo” or protein powder) to ensure adequate protein intake. The Original program will afford you the greatest learning opportunity, and the ability to test out a wider variety of plant-based protein sources (including legumes, lentils, soy, and peanuts) to determine how well they work for you. Feel free to consume only plant-based fats during your Original Whole30, as there are plenty to choose from.

If you don’t eat any animal products and are not open to doing so, or if you’ve done the Original Whole30 and are curious about how a plant-based diet might work for you by comparison, then the Plant-Based Whole30 would provide the best fit.

Nope! Each program was carefully designed to function as a stand-alone, discrete elimination and reintroduction protocol, with carefully selected parameters that have proven incredibly effective for the vast majority of people who complete the program. Once you choose a program, please complete it exactly as written, unless your healthcare provider directs you otherwise. Read the Original Whole30 Program Rules, and the Plant-Based Whole30 Program Rules.

We discuss the specific research behind the elimination categories in our Science Behind Whole30 articles. It’s important to note that though these food groups are commonly problematic (to varying degrees, across a broad range of people), we aren’t eliminating them because they’re “bad.” There are no universally “good” or “bad” foods, and Whole30 does not assign morality to food. We eliminate these groups because they’re unknown—they can be problematic, and you won’t know exactly if or how they are problematic for you until you eliminate them, reintroduce them, and compare your experience. Read the Science Behind the Original Whole30, or the Science Behind the Plant-Based Whole30 articles.

In order to accurately determine how certain foods are impacting your body, you need to completely eliminate them for the prescribed period of time. Eating even small amounts of foods to which you are sensitive can disrupt the process and interrupt your healing. Complete elimination, on the other hand, can bring about improvements in any number of symptoms or negative health effects, and makes it easier to identify potentially problematic food(s) during reintroduction.

Rushing through reintroduction can have the same negative consequences. Reintroducing food groups too quickly, or reintroducing too many at the same time, will make it hard (if not impossible) to accurately evaluate the impact of these foods. You won’t be able to identify which food flared your symptoms, tanked your energy, or disrupted your digestion.

To make the most of your Whole30 self-experiment, completely eliminate all of the recommended food groups for 30 straight days, then reintroduce carefully and systematically, one food group at a time, allowing 2-3 days between food groups. Read The Science Behind the Original Whole30 here, and The Science Behind the Plant-Based Whole30 articles.

A food intolerance means someone has difficulty digesting or processing components (often a protein or sugar) within the food. An example of a common food intolerance is lactose intolerance; difficulty digesting the carbohydrate component of milk products. A food intolerance is usually caused by the lack of an enzyme needed to digest the food, but can also be caused by digestive diseases (like Irritable Bowel Syndrome).

With food sensitivities, an individual experiences an immune reaction after consuming specific foods, which can generate a multitude of symptoms (like joint pain, stomach pain, fatigue, rashes, and brain fog). With food sensitivities, the body’s response can happen after eating, but could also be delayed. This means you may not notice symptoms for up to three days after consuming the food. Food sensitivities have no standard medical definition and are sometimes referred to as food intolerance, IgG, or IgA response. Harvard Medical School* says the gold standard for identifying food sensitivities is a structured elimination and reintroduction protocol.

With a food allergy, your body’s immune system reacts to a food or a substance in the food, identifying it as potentially harmful and creating antibodies to fight it off. This response is known as an IgE and/or histamine response. It’s often immediate (within two hours after eating the food) and can be life-threatening, like in the case of peanuts causing anaphylaxis. Individuals should work with their healthcare provider if they suspect or are currently navigating a food allergy.

*Source: Health Harvard Publishing – Harvard Medical School

You may have heard friends or family members talk about a “food sensitivity” test they did at home or with their provider. For some, this test can provide helpful direction towards customizing their elimination diet protocol. For others, it can do more harm than good. In fact, organizations including the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, and the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology have recommended against using IgG testing to diagnose food intolerances and sensitivities.

IgG-based food sensitivity tests have not been proven to identify food sensitivities, and often have false positives. Intestinal permeability or frequent exposures to a food can result in multiple foods being erroneously flagged as “culprits” (foods to which you’re sensitive). This can result in unnecessary and sometimes excessive restrictions. In addition, these tests can be expensive, and therefore aren’t accessible to all. By contrast, elimination protocols, like the Whole30, offer a free, clear, and effective way to assess which foods may be contributing to symptoms in your body. Read this article by Dr. Caroline Arreola for more.

Habit research says it can take anywhere from 18 to 254 (!) days to make a habit stick, depending largely on how emotionally tied you are to that habit. However, one study in 2021 found on average, a new habit takes 59 days to solidify. Creating new habits with food can be an emotional challenge, but asking someone to follow a strict elimination protocol for two months (or longer) isn’t reasonable or necessary for our purposes. In our decade-plus of clinical experience, we’ve found 30 days is the sweet spot. It’s long enough for you to see dramatic, life-changing results, but short enough to make the program feel attainable. (And when you factor in 10-14 days of reintroduction, you’re already three-quarters of the way to that 59-day benchmark!) *Source: The British Psychological Society

We don’t recommend it. The first week or two of the program can be difficult, emotionally and physiologically. It takes time for your body to learn to burn fat instead of sugar, your taste buds to adapt, your cravings to subside, and your digestion to smooth out. Improvements in pain, fatigue, and other symptoms can take even longer to materialize. By staying in the elimination phase for less than 30 days, you’d experience all of the difficult parts without experiencing much (if any) of the potential benefits. Plus, you made yourself a promise to complete the Whole30, not the Whole22 or Whole27. Keep that promise to yourself, trust the process (and the results of millions of people who have come before you), and firmly commit to completing all 30 days. Read more about the Whole30 Timeline here.

In some cases, this can be a good idea. Extending elimination to 45 or even 60 days might be helpful for those who have already seen marked improvements in their health condition, and believe extending elimination will bring further benefits. (This is especially true for those with autoimmune conditions or chronic pain or fatigue, which can be slower to respond to dietary interventions.) However, unless your healthcare provider recommends it, we suggest you limit elimination to no longer than 90 days. Note, if you just like the comfort the Whole30 rules provide or are anxious about the impact of reintroducing certain food groups (like grains or added sugar), those aren’t good reasons to extend your Whole30. Elimination programs like the Whole30 aren’t meant to be followed long-term. There may not be health benefits associated with you continuing to eliminate all of these food groups, and there can be negative mental health consequences from restricting food groups unnecessarily. The goal of the Whole30 is to help you create your own ideal, sustainable diet (your food freedom) and you won’t get there by continuing to follow our rules. Use the last week of your Whole30 elimination to prepare for reintroduction, and take one step closer to your own food freedom plan.

In 2018, Catherine Moring, PhD, RDN, BC-ADM, CDCES, who is Executive Director of the James C. Kennedy Wellness Center in Mississippi, conducted a pilot study with 45 Original Whole30 participants and shared her results with us. Dr. Moring and her team provided education about the side effects of chronic inflammation, the benefits of an elimination diet, and the Whole30 Rules and Recommendations. They also supported participants by teaching them how to prepare and enjoy minimally-processed, whole foods without focusing on calorie counting or food restriction. Dr. Moring’s team collected bloodwork and biometrics from the 45 study participants before and after completing the Original Whole30. Although the results of this cohort study have not yet been peer reviewed or published, Dr. Moring shared this overview of the outcomes with us.

The average decrease in overall cholesterol was 13.37.
The average reduction in triglycerides was 24.57.
The average reduction in LDL (“bad”) cholesterol was 6.33.
The majority of participants (70%) experienced lower blood sugar.
Participants reduced their average blood-glucose level by 2.34 mg/dL, from slightly impaired to within normal limits.
An estimated ⅔ of patients had lower blood pressure after Whole30.
The average participant BMI decreased by 2.36 points, along with an average waist circumference reduction of 3.01 inches and an average weight loss of 12.11 pounds.
Dr. Moring reported that several participants in the study were able to reverse pre-diabetes. Several others with diabetes were able to reach blood-glucose targets. One participant was able to stop taking insulin by the end of their Whole30.

Other non-scale victories reported by Whole30 participants in Dr. Moring’s cohort study included improved digestion, clear skin, better sleep, fewer medications needed, more energy, less anxiety and depression, reduced pain, improved focus, better moods, and increased self-confidence. Along that same line, our internal data (unpublished) also showed that in 2022, a small focus group of Whole30 participants experienced a 13.4% increase in positive body perception on the clinically validated Body Appreciation Scale.

If that’s the case, please follow all of your healthcare provider’s recommendations. Your doctor’s orders always supersede Whole30 program rules. Work closely with your provider before, during, and after your Whole30 to ensure you are implementing the program in the way that is best for your context, health history, and goals.

We’d really rather you not, but it’s not a rule. In our experience, tracking is most often associated with weight loss efforts. The very act of logging and counting calories, points, or macros can immediately put your brain into “eat less” mode, or create stress around the number. This can take your Whole30 into unhealthy territory, where you’re further restricting foods, macros, or calories unnecessarily. Don’t let a calorie-counting app mess with your head; your body knows how much you need to eat better than any calculator on the internet. Let the Whole30 reconnect you with your body, and let those signals (hunger, fullness, cravings, mood, energy, and athletic performance) guide your portions. Read this Dear Melissa article for more.

The Whole30 isn’t a weight-loss diet. The program can bring a huge number of non-scale victories (NSVs); improvements in energy, sleep, cravings, mood, digestion, chronic pain and fatigue, joint pain and swelling, acne, allergies, asthma, anxiety, migraines, and any number of symptoms. Those benefits will spill over into every area of your life—but they aren’t reflected on the scale! If you remain fixated on your body weight, you might not notice the other benefits you’re experiencing on the program. During your Whole30, give yourself a well-deserved break from the scale. Stop allowing the number to dictate your self-confidence and worth, and open yourself up to the magic that can happen when you change the food you put on your plate. If it’s really important to you, you can weigh yourself after your program is over—but before you do, please read this.

Yes. (Can we just say that?) Reintroduction is a necessary part of every elimination program. It’s where you learn the most about the way various foods impact you, and helps you identify food sensitivities or adverse reactions. Without reintroduction, you’ll miss half of the learning experience of the Whole30. (And that feels like a big bummer, considering how hard it is to give up the foods you love for 30 days.) Be patient, take your time with reintroduction, and use that knowledge to fuel your food freedom. We promise, it’ll be worth the extra few days. For more on Original Whole30 reintroduction, read this. For more on the Plant-Based Whole30 reintroduction, read this.

That’s not really a question, but we hear you. If you’ve been leaning hard on eggs, your favorite recipe, or the same Whole30 salad bowl from Chipotle for the last three weeks, it might be time to liven things up. Here are some ideas to spice things up no matter where you are on our Whole30 Timeline:

Prepare your eggs differently (hard-boil, poach, scramble, or make a frittata)
Make some new recipes
Add a new dressing or sauce
Shop for new vegetables, or prepare them a new way (roasting or air frying are our favorite)
Build in variety with Whole30 Approved meals from Trifecta (Original Whole30) or Daily Harvest (Plant-Based Whole30)
Swap Whole30 recipes with a friend or someone on Instagram

And remember, you can just as easily eat a burger, chicken salad, or chili for breakfast as you can for dinner. If it helps to think about it as “meal one” instead of breakfast, do that.

You can cook veggies at home any way you choose; air fry them, pan fry them, roast them, or grill them, in whatever shape you want (including rectangles). Your homemade sweet potato spears aren’t the same as those deep-fried, 19-ingredient fast food fries.

In general, if the food in question is just vegetables or protein, you’re in the clear. That means your jicama taco shells, apple chips, zucchini noodles, or egg white wraps are A-OK. These aren’t recreations, they’re whole food substitutions for corn tortillas, potato chips, traditional pasta, and whole wheat wraps. The same goes for egg “muffins,” sweet potato “waffles,” or salmon “cakes.” The Pancake Rule isn’t about the shape of the food or what you call it. Meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato “frosting” is a delicious, kid-friendly Whole30 dinner.

Habit research conducted with smokers demonstrates that the average craving lasts just 3-5 minutes—and the most effective way to resist is distraction. Make a list of things you could do during a craving to distract yourself from the sensation, and keep it handy. It might include:

Tidying a small area
Paying a few bills
Writing and addressing a thank-you note
Chopping some vegetables
Going outside for a few minutes
Reading a few pages of your book
Journaling your feelings
Making a pot of herbal tea
Doing a few simple stretches

You can also use co-founder Melissa Urban’s famous “Am I hungry or just having a craving” test here. Ask yourself, “Would I eat a chicken breast and broccoli right now?” If the answer is yes, you’re legitimately hungry—go eat a Whole30 meal or snack! If the answer is, “No, but I could go for a Larabar…” then you know you’re just having a craving. Employ one of your distraction techniques and you’ll be on your way in just a few minutes.

Both programs offer a 30-day elimination and structured reintroduction period, with the goal of identifying food sensitivities, creating new habits, and restoring a healthy relationship with food. The Original and Plant-Based Whole30 programs differ only in their protein and fat sources, and in the length of time the programs have been available. The Original Whole30, founded in 2009, includes high-quality animal protein and encourages the use of some animal fats while eliminating legumes, including peanuts and soy. The Plant-Based Whole30 was launched in March 2022, after two years in development. The Plant-Based Whole30 does not include any animal protein and fats. It uses beans, lentils, peas, soy, compatible protein powders, nuts, and seeds to ensure adequate protein; and includes only plant-based fat sources.

No, there’s no cap on how often you can work with us. We love developing long-term relationships.

We’ve partnered with a handful of creators we’ve worked with previously to create a Creator Advisory Group to discuss fair compensation across all channels. Based on the feedback from the panel, industry research and standards, and input from past creators, alongside inter-departmental conversations, we selected minimum rates that we believe are fair. We will continue to update this to reflect changes in industry standards and from the feedback we receive as we continue our work with creators.

Since these rates are a minimum, there is an opportunity to make more. We take into account the style, difficulty of production, follower count (if the content is being posted on your feed), and turnaround time, amongst other details. Specificities of payment will be disclosed in all contracts.

No! We understand that a lot of content has nothing to do with followers or engagement rates. We do take certain metrics into account for some content types, such as posting to your personal feed for a campaign, but don’t hesitate to submit your information if you’re hoping to work with us, as many of our projects are for content that will be shared from our owned channels.

These minimum rates are for all contracts moving forward from December 1, 2022. Please know that we value everyone we have worked with in the highest regard and are hopeful that any and all conversations regarding fair & equal compensation will help us continue to grow and make the industry better for all creators.

We keep all submissions on hand for our headquarters team to review, so you will only need to resubmit if you have new information to add or changes to make to your initial submission.

If you’re a creator and would like to be considered for future contract projects with Whole30, click here to fill out a simple Google form. We’re particularly looking for copywriters, recipe creatives, food and lifestyle photographers, and Reels/TikTok creatives, but we often have opportunities for other creators as well! If you’re a good fit for an upcoming project, we’ll contact you.

As counterintuitive as it may feel after 30 days of elimination, look for products that do contain added sugar for this step. Add sugar or a sweetened dairy-free creamer to your coffee, drink a sugary (or sweetened “diet”) beverage, glaze your tofu in a maple syrup glaze, use a ketchup or salad dressing that contains added sugar, choose a sweetened nut butter, add date paste to your smoothie, or top your salad with sugar-coated pecans.

This is a special situation. As these foods are made from compatible Whole30 ingredients, you might think, “I’ll just eat them as I choose throughout my reintroduction.” However, we’d encourage you to separate these foods from the rest of your reintroduction schedule, and turn them into their own reintroduction category. That means dedicating one day to reintroducing Pancake Rule foods only, then spending 2-3 days back on Whole30 elimination. In addition, pay close attention to how that paleo banana bread, cassava flour tortilla, or serving of potato chips makes you feel. It’s possible that the high quantity of alternative flour found in many of these foods will mess with your digestion, or that the return of tortillas, baked goods, cereal, chips, or fries brings back cravings.

Yes, it can. The Whole30 is contraindicated (not recommended) for those with a history of disordered eating. The Whole30’s elimination phase is a form of restriction (of food groups, rather than calories), and can lead to intense cravings, binging, and the reactivation of dormant disordered eating habits. (It can even promote such behaviors in those without a history of disordered eating. Current research suggests that some people are simply more susceptible for the development of eating disorders during certain dietary protocols.) If this is your context or if you are at all concerned, speak with a qualified therapist or healthcare provider before committing to the Whole30. Read this article with Harvard psychiatrist Dr. Emily Deans for more.

A: It’s important to supplement certain nutrients on plant-based diets, since these nutrients are not as bioavailable, or as easily found in plants. The Plant-Based Whole30 medical advisory team recommends working with your healthcare provider to include the following supplements during your Plant-Based Whole30:

DHA & EPA from algae oil
A multivitamin that includes B12, zinc, iodine, selenium, magnesium, D3, K2, and choline
An iron supplement (if needed based on lab results)

Always follow your healthcare provider’s recommendations when it comes to supplementation, and consult with them before beginning any new dietary program.

A: Absolutely, you can choose to reintroduce only specific animal proteins and/or dairy products on the Plant-Based Whole30. If the only animal proteins you’d consider eating are eggs, fish, and seafood, bring that back as one reintroduction group, eating eggs for breakfast, salmon for lunch, and shrimp for dinner. Then, return to your Plant-Based Whole30 elimination for 2-3 days. You can also choose to reintroduce any form of dairy, including high-protein options like greek yogurt or grass-fed whey protein, on its own reintroduction day, returning to the Plant-Based Whole30 elimination for 2-3 days following. For more on Plant-Based Whole30 reintroduction, read this.

The Plant-Based Whole30 includes legumes, soy, peanuts, and lentils to ensure you consume a variety of essential amino acids and sufficient protein. We recommend aiming for a minimum of 15 grams of protein from one or more protein sources at each of your four meals, adding nuts and seeds (like chia and hemp) to boost the protein content. If you’re active, an athlete, or have more muscle mass, you should also consider including a compatible plant-based protein powder at least once a day to supplement your protein needs. See this handout to learn more about plant-based protein sources.

A: Nope! Our Plant-Based Whole30 program was carefully designed to function as a stand-alone, discrete elimination and reintroduction protocol, and should be completed exactly as written. Use beans, lentils, peas, and soy to ensure adequate protein intake. If needed, supplement with a compatible plant-based protein powder. Then, use reintroduction to effectively evaluate how the addition of eggs and/or dairy works for your diet and body.

It depends on what you mean by “work.” The Plant-Based Whole30 is a self-experiment designed to show you which plant-based food groups may or may not be right for you. If you have a poor experience during the elimination phase–with lethargy, digestive issues, skin issues, or other negative symptoms–it is likely that some plant-based foods (or a 100% plant-based diet) don’t work well for you. In that context, the program functioned exactly as intended, helping you identify food sensitivities and moving you closer to an individualized, sustainable diet that works best for you. If that is the case, we encourage you to listen to your body. If your religious, cultural, or ethical convictions allow, consider expanding your plant-based options to include modest amounts of responsibly raised and sourced animal protein (such as bone broth, eggs, and fish). Or, seek the help of a qualified healthcare provider to determine whether any underlying health conditions (like SIBO) may have impacted your Plant-Based Whole30 experience, and create a customized dietary program that meets your specific needs. Others who participate may discover that a 100% plant-based diet provides a positive benefit to their energy, sleep, digestion, mood, and other health factors—or that a few plant-based foods aren’t well-tolerated, but many are. Their Plant-Based Whole30 experience would then allow them to fine-tune their vegetarian or vegan diet in a way that is even more health-promoting.

For those who are currently omnivorous and would like to test the Plant-Based Whole30, our team of healthcare experts highly recommend taking a few weeks to slowly introduce legumes and lentils for a few weeks prior to starting the reset. This allows your microbiome a chance to adapt to the specific carbohydrates and fiber in beans, and should alleviate at least some digestive distress during the program. You would also benefit from preparation and cooking techniques that make legumes and lentils easier to digest such as soaking, draining, and rinsing. Finally, eating most of your vegetables cooked (not raw) can also help ease your transition to a 100% plant-based diet.

The Plant-Based Whole30 is designed for:

Vegans or vegetarians who want to experience the life-changing benefits of the Whole30 without any animal products
Omnivores who want to test how well a plant-based diet works for them with a structured, proven elimination and reintroduction protocol
Original Whole30 community members who want to compare their Original Whole30 experience to a Plant-Based Whole30 experience, to further fine-tune their food freedom

Please note, the Plant-Based Whole30 is not recommended for those who are pregnant or nursing, or young children. Always consult your physician before beginning any new dietary or lifestyle program.

Whole30’s vision is to change lives everywhere, one Whole30 at a time. Though the Original Whole30 serves omnivores, we have always supported vegetarians and vegans in our community. Over the years, we’ve offered plant-based shopping lists, guidance for vegetarians and vegans in the 2012 book It Starts with Food and the 2015 #1 best-seller The Whole30, a Vegan Reset outlined in the 2016 book Food Freedom Forever, and a plethora of website resources. In 2020, we began plans for a program that would more effectively support our vegetarian, vegan, and plant-based-curious community members. In November 2021, we conducted a survey of 1,461 Whole30’ers, and found that an astonishing 87% of omnivorous community members were interested in exploring a plant-based diet. The Plant-Based Whole30 is the result of those conversations and community research, and the next generation of plant-based support for our community.

If you’re towards the end of your program and still not seeing digestive improvements, there could be a number of factors at play.

Time: Your gut flora and digestive enzymes may need time to adapt to the veggies and protein you’re consuming more of during your Whole30.
Fiber: You are likely eating far more fiber on your Whole30 (from vegetables and fruit, or on a Plant-Based Whole30, from legumes). A dramatic increase in fiber can lead to gas and bloating.
FODMAPs: An increase in fermentable carbohydrates from veggies and fruits (like onions, garlic, cauliflower, apples, or bananas) can promote the same symptoms.
Alternative flours: Even if you’re not baking with them, using large amounts of almond or cassava flour in frittatas, meatballs, or other meals can promote digestive distress.
Nuts or nut butters: This is another common culprit in digestive issues, especially if you’re consuming large quantities
Fats (like coconut oil, ghee, or coconut milk): Yes, coconut milk is delicious in a smoothie and your coffee may taste delicious with ghee, but eating too much fat for your context can promote digestive upset and diarrhea.

Your success strategies (aside from patience) include eating more cooked veggies than raw (like soups or stews instead of big salads), consulting our low-FODMAP shopping list and avoiding the red items for a few days to see if it helps, and eating all fruit in smaller portions. On a Plant-Based Whole30, try eating more soy and fewer legumes, soaking and sprouting your legumes, and choosing fermented varieties of soy, like tempeh and miso. You could also speak with your healthcare provider to see if a probiotic or digestive enzyme would be helpful. If at any point during your program, your digestive symptoms become concerning, please consult your doctor.

How quickly digestion improves depends largely on how you were eating before your Whole30. If you were eating a Standard American Diet, Whole30 medical advisor Dr. Michael Ruscio says you should give it a full four weeks before evaluating—essentially, all the way through your 30-day elimination. If you’re coming from a Paleo-style or whole food-based approach, you should start to see improvements after two weeks. However, as we share on our Whole30 Timeline, many people notice digestive improvements right away, sometimes within the first day or two of starting the program. If your digestive symptoms are concerning at any point during your Whole30, please consult your healthcare provider.

Yes! As we share on our Whole30 Timeline, it’s incredibly common to experience food dreams on the Whole30. People report dreams about eating chocolate, drinking wine, or ordering fast-food burgers. Sometimes they wake up feeling gleeful, and other times they wake up in a panic, thinking, “Did I just blow my Whole30?” It’s normal to have food on the brain, especially if the Whole30 is a dramatic dietary change. However, this should ease quickly, and by the middle of your program, making Whole30 meals and snacks should feel far less effortful. However, if at any point your Whole30 starts to feel like it’s taking your mental health to an unhealthy place, please discontinue the program and consult a therapist or healthcare provider.

Not in the least. No two people’s Whole30 experience is the same. You may find you breeze past some of these phases in our Whole30 Timeline while being stuck in others for longer than you anticipated—or you might skip certain phases altogether. It doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong! However, if you feel uncomfortable with how your Whole30 is progressing, or if the improvements you hoped to see just aren’t appearing, please consult your healthcare provider or registered dietitian for more specialized guidance.

Yes! It’s called The Whole30 Day by Day, and it’s part Whole30 handbook, part guided journal. The book includes a day-by-day timeline for your Whole30, personal motivation, community inspiration, habit hacks, and meal tips. Each day also offers guidance for self-reflection, food journaling, and tracking your non-scale victories to keep your momentum going and help you plan for the days to come. You can also see a high-level preview of a typical Whole30 experience in our Whole30 Timeline.

Prepare your eggs differently (hard-boil, poach, scramble, or make a frittata)
Make some new recipes
Add a new dressing or sauce
Shop for new vegetables, or prepare them a new way (roasting or air frying are our favorite)
Build in variety with Whole30 Approved meals from Trifecta (Original Whole30) or Daily Harvest (Plant-Based Whole30)
Swap Whole30 recipes with a friend or someone on Instagram

And remember, you can just as easily eat a burger, chicken salad, or chili for breakfast as you can for dinner. If it helps to think about it as “meal one” instead of breakfast, do that.

A: That’s not really a question, but we know what you mean. The Pancake Rule eliminates baked goods, foods-with-no-brakes, and treats, even if they’re made with technically compatible ingredients. Remember, the program isn’t just about identifying food sensitivities. It’s about creating new healthy habits, and examining your emotional relationship with food. You may not turn to all of the foods that fall under the Pancake Rule, but we ask that you eliminate them anyway. Think about it this way—if you’re not that into pancakes, tortillas, or potato chips, it should be easy to avoid them for 30 days.

That’s not really a question, but we know what you mean. The Pancake Rule eliminates baked goods, foods-with-no-brakes, and treats, even if they’re made with technically compatible ingredients. Remember, the program isn’t just about identifying food sensitivities. It’s about creating new healthy habits, and examining your emotional relationship with food. You may not turn to all of the foods that fall under the Pancake Rule, but we ask that you eliminate them anyway. Think about it this way—if you’re not that into pancakes, tortillas, or potato chips, it should be easy to avoid them for 30 days.

Elimination diets are meant to be strictly followed—for good reason. Eating even small amounts of foods to which you are sensitive can disrupt the process and interrupt your healing. Complete elimination, on the other hand, can bring about improvements in any number of symptoms or negative health effects, and makes it easier to identify potentially problematic food(s) during reintroduction. Should you consume something from the elimination group during the first 30 days (accidentally or otherwise), we generally recommend starting your elimination over again from Day 1, to ensure you obtain as many benefits from the program as possible. However, you are responsible for your own Whole30. We’re going to give you our best recommendations based on science and our vast experience, but no one is going to come to your house to check up on you. To read more about this question, click here.

In general, if the food in question is just vegetables or protein, you’re in the clear when it comes to the Pancake Rule. That means your jicama taco shells, apple chips, zucchini noodles, or egg white wraps are A-OK. These aren’t recreations, they’re whole food substitutions for corn tortillas, potato chips, traditional pasta, and whole wheat wraps. The same goes for egg “muffins,” sweet potato “waffles,” or salmon “cakes.” The Pancake Rule isn’t about the shape of the food or what you call it. Meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato “frosting” is a delicious, kid-friendly Original Whole30 dinner.

This came from our first book, It Starts With Food, originally published in 2012. “Foods with no brakes” describes hyper-sweet/salty/fatty, calorically dense, nutrient-poor foods. These are foods that scientists have designed to make you overconsume, with all the pleasure and reward signals to keep you reaching in for more, but none of the satiety signals to tell you to stop. (Potato chips are a great example.)

You certainly can, if you already suspect one food in that reintroduction group doesn’t work well for you. The more carefully and systematically you approach reintroduction, the more you’ll gain awareness of an individual food’s effects. Just remember to take 2-3 days of Whole30 elimination in between each reintroduced food or food group. For more on Original Whole30 reintroduction, read this. For more on the Plant-Based Whole30 reintroduction, read this.

Nope! There is no pressure whatsoever to reintroduce a food you don’t like or have no desire to eat. If you don’t miss peanut butter, skip it! If you never liked cottage cheese, don’t bother. The point of reintroduction is to figure out whether the foods you’ve been missing work well for you. The specific foods you reintroduce in each group is entirely up to you. For more on Original Whole30 reintroduction, read this. For more on the Plant-Based Whole30 reintroduction, read this.

As mentioned above, some quantity of added sugar usually comes attached to other reintroduction food groups. If you’re happy to reintroduce only low-sugar versions of grains and dairy, you can skip this optional step. Once you know how plain grains or dairy impact you, you’ll be able to compare that experience to how you feel when you eat your mom’s chocolate chip cookies in your food freedom. But what if the foods you want to reintroduce are higher in sugar? If you really miss blueberry muffins, brown sugar oatmeal, ice cream, or strawberry yogurt, you’re going to want to reintroduce those. But if your energy dips, your cravings return, or your skin breaks out, was it the grains (or dairy), the sugar, or both? If you plan on bringing back higher-sugar versions of these foods during grain and dairy days, this optional step can be helpful. These extra three days will help you evaluate how added sugar alone impacts your energy, mood, hunger, cravings, and other symptoms, so you’ll be able to compare by the time it’s blueberry muffin day. (You can also add this step if you simply want to evaluate the impact of sugar by itself.) For more on Original Whole30 reintroduction, read this. For more on the Plant-Based Whole30 reintroduction, read this.

This is related to the below question. Most of the foods you’ll want to reintroduce likely come with at least some added sugar. But reintroducing high-sugar versions of grains or dairy can complicate your observations. Choosing lower-sugar options for these categories helps you evaluate more clearly the impact of each food group. If you figure out that plain yogurt with breakfast has no negative effects, then later in your food freedom you try a sugary yogurt with breakfast and your energy tanks, you’ll know exactly why. For more on Original Whole30 reintroduction, read this. For more on the Plant-Based Whole30 reintroduction, read this.

Nope. We’ve arranged our reintroduction schedule in order of least likely to be problematic to most likely to be problematic, based on watching millions of people complete the program. However, you can reintroduce food groups in whatever order you choose. If you really miss oatmeal and rice, reintroduce non-gluten grains first. If you are desperate for that glass of wine, reintroduce alcohol first. Just make sure you only reintroduce one food group at a time, and return to the elimination diet for 2-3 days between each food group. For more on Original Whole30 reintroduction, read this. For more on the Plant-Based Whole30 reintroduction, read this.

If you’re towards the end of your program and still not seeing digestive improvements, there could be a number of factors at play.

Time: Your gut flora and digestive enzymes may need time to adapt to the veggies and protein you’re consuming more of during your Whole30.
Fiber: You are likely eating far more fiber on your Whole30 (from vegetables and fruit, or on a Plant-Based Whole30, from legumes). A dramatic increase in fiber can lead to gas and bloating.
FODMAPs: An increase in fermentable carbohydrates from veggies and fruits (like onions, garlic, cauliflower, apples, or bananas) can promote the same symptoms.
Alternative flours: Even if you’re not baking with them, using large amounts of almond or cassava flour in frittatas, meatballs, or other meals can promote digestive distress.
Nuts or nut butters: This is another common culprit in digestive issues, especially if you’re consuming large quantities
Fats (like coconut oil, ghee, or coconut milk): Yes, coconut milk is delicious in a smoothie and your coffee may taste delicious with ghee, but eating too much fat for your context can promote digestive upset and diarrhea.

Yes, consuming MSG is okay on your Whole30. We no longer include MSG on our list of additives excluded from the program.

People can be sensitive to all kinds of generally safe and healthy things, including eggs, broccoli, or xanthan gum. But we have decided the evidence is no longer strong enough for us to specifically call this additive out in the Whole30 rules. (As an aside, Registered Dietitian Michelle Jaelin also says these reactions may be the result of a tyramine intolerance, not necessarily a reaction to MSG.)

You probably won’t find “MSG” on a Whole30 compatible food label. You may find some brands of canned tuna that contain MSG, but in general, it’s not an additive found in Whole30 foods. (However, as an interesting aside, MSG is chemically indistinguishable from glutamate, a common amino acid found in everything from tomatoes to chicken soup to mayonnaise and beef jerky. It’s likely you eat glutamate in some form on a regular basis.)

While this rule change might not impact your grocery shopping experience, it’s important for us to right the wrong we made when excluding it from the program back in 2010. Removing it from our rules is a small but powerful way of calling out the racism and xenophobia behind the stigma, and allows us to share more accurate, reliable information with our community.

Yes, you could now add MSG to tomato sauces, soups, stews, salads, dips, or dressings. You can find MSG in your local Asian market, or in the spice aisle of many grocery stores. The brand Ajinomoto, from the folks who first discovered MSG, is one of the more popular. (Just shake it on to taste, like salt.)

Traditionally, it would be fermented from seaweed broth. Today, it’s made from the fermentation of a number of plant-based substances, such as sugar cane, sugar beets, cassava or corn. Because none of the fermented substrate (such as the sugar or corn) carries forward into the MSG product itself, regardless of how it’s made, MSG is compatible with the Whole30.

MSG produces the same kind of umami flavor that comes from mushrooms or dried seaweed. It’s not salty, it’s savory, and a little can add a ton of flavor to sauces, soups, stews, salads, veggie dishes, and more.

As with any Whole30 food or beverage, if your body doesn’t respond well to something, whether that’s almond butter, sparkling water, or MSG, leave it out of your program. But it would be an interesting experiment to see if adding MSG to your Whole30 salad or stew produced the same “side effects” as consuming Chinese take-out. (Maybe it’s not the MSG.)

Whole30 Approved® trademark licensing costs are based on annual revenue and the number of compatible SKUs. Once your company’s application is reviewed and approved, we’ll send you the licensing cost details.

The yearly licensing fee will vary depending on your company’s last 12 months of revenue and the number of approved products. If these numbers change, you can accurately forecast based on our fee schedule.

Generally, within 1-2 weeks after acceptance into the program. The timeline can move more quickly or more slowly depending on how long it takes for us to receive required information and review the license agreement. We strive to move the process along quickly.

Whole30® and Whole30 Approved® are legally registered trademarks with the USPTO, and may not be used to promote, advertise, market, or sell your product or service without a license.

You can submit a new product to us for review at any time during your license period. Once approved, there is no additional fee to add a new product to your existing license. Fees are only reviewed during annual renewal periods.

The specific terms of the license will be provided upon acceptance into our program. The primary purpose of the licensing is for placement of our Whole30 Approved® logo on your product packaging, website, and marketing materials and long-term brand alignment.

Sponsorship opportunities vary depending on the time of the year and our initiatives at Whole30. Learn more about our Branded Content options during your application process with our Whole30 Approved Program Manager.

You will receive an email from our online portal with renewal information.

Yes, absolutely. We provide this documentation once the partnership is confirmed.

No, no es necesario. Hemos organizado nuestro programa de reintroducción en orden de menor probabilidad de ser problemáticos a mayor probabilidad, basándonos en la experiencia de millones de personas que han completado el programa desde 2009. Sin embargo, puedes reintroducir los grupos de alimentos en el orden que elijas. Si extrañas mucho la avena y el arroz, puedes reintroducir primero los granos sin gluten. Si estás deseando ese vaso de vino, reintroduce el alcohol primero. Solo asegúrate de reintroducir un grupo de alimentos a la vez y regresar a la dieta de eliminación durante 2-3 días entre cada grupo de alimentos. Para obtener más información sobre la reintroducción en Whole30, lee esto.

Sí. (Podemos simplemente decir eso?) La reintroducción es una parte necesaria de cualquier programa de eliminación. Es donde aprendes más sobre cómo diversos alimentos te afectan y te ayuda a identificar sensibilidades alimentarias o reacciones adversas. Sin la reintroducción, te perderías la mitad de la experiencia de aprendizaje del Whole30. (Y eso se siente como una gran decepción, considerando lo difícil que es renunciar a los alimentos que amas durante 30 días). Sé paciente, tómate tu tiempo con la reintroducción y utiliza ese conocimiento para fortalecer tu libertad alimentaria. Te prometemos que valdrá la pena esos días extra. Para obtener más información sobre la reintroducción en Whole30, lee esto

Whole30 no es una dieta para bajar de peso. El programa puede traer una gran cantidad de victorias que no se reflejan en la báscula (NSVs—victorias sin escala—por sus siglas en inglés); mejoras en la energía, el sueño, los antojos, el estado de ánimo, la digestión, el dolor crónico y la fatiga, el dolor e hinchazón en las articulaciones, el acné, las alergias, el asma, la ansiedad, las migrañas y una variedad de síntomas. Esos beneficios se extenderán a todas las áreas de tu vida, ¡pero no se reflejarán en la báscula! Si te enfocas únicamente en tu peso corporal, es posible que no notes los otros beneficios que experimentas en el programa. Durante tu Whole30, date un merecido descanso de la báscula. Deja de permitir que el número dicte tu confianza y tu valía, y ábrete a la magia que puede suceder cuando cambias los alimentos que pones en tu plato. Si realmente es importante para ti, puedes pesarte después de que termine tu programa, pero antes de hacerlo, por favor lee esto.

Sí, puede suceder. El Whole30 no se recomienda para aquellas personas con antecedentes de trastornos alimentarios. La fase de eliminación del Whole30 implica una forma de restricción (de grupos de alimentos en lugar de calorías) y puede provocar antojos intensos, atracones y reactivar hábitos alimentarios desordenados latentes. (Incluso puede promover este tipo de comportamientos en personas sin antecedentes de trastornos alimentarios. Investigaciones actuales sugieren que algunas personas simplemente son más susceptibles al desarrollo de trastornos alimentarios durante ciertos protocolos dietéticos). Si esta es tu situación o si tienes alguna preocupación al respecto, habla con un terapeuta cualificado o un proveedor de atención médica antes de comprometerte con el Whole30. Lee este artículo con la psiquiatra de Harvard, Dra. Emily Deans, para obtener más información.

Si ese es el caso, por favor sigue todas las recomendaciones de tu proveedor de atención médica. Las indicaciones de tu médico siempre tienen prioridad sobre las reglas del programa Whole30. Trabaja de cerca con tu proveedor antes, durante y después de tu Whole30 para asegurarte de implementar el programa de la manera que sea mejor para tu contexto, historial de salud y objetivos.

Preferimos que no lo hagas, pero no es una regla. En nuestra experiencia, hacer un seguimiento está asociado principalmente con los esfuerzos de pérdida de peso. El simple acto de registrar y contar calorías, puntos o macros puede poner inmediatamente tu mente en modo de “comer menos” o crear estrés en torno al número. Esto puede llevar tu Whole30 a un territorio poco saludable, donde estás restringiendo alimentos, macros o calorías innecesariamente. No dejes que una aplicación de conteo de calorías juegue con tu mente; tu cuerpo sabe cuánto necesitas comer mejor que cualquier calculadora en Internet. Permítele al Whole30 reconectarte con tu cuerpo y deja que esas señales (hambre, saciedad, antojos, estado de ánimo, energía y rendimiento atlético) guíen tus porciones.

Las dietas de eliminación están diseñadas para seguirse estrictamente, por una buena razón. Incluso comer pequeñas cantidades de alimentos a los que eres sensible puede interrumpir el proceso y afectar tu proceso de curación. Por otro lado, la eliminación completa puede generar mejoras en una serie de síntomas o efectos negativos para la salud, y facilita la identificación de alimentos potencialmente problemáticos durante la reintroducción. Si consumes algo del grupo de alimentos eliminados durante los primeros 30 días (accidentalmente o de otra manera), generalmente recomendamos comenzar de nuevo con la eliminación desde el Día 1, para asegurarte de obtener tantos beneficios del programa como sea posible. Sin embargo, eres responsable de tu propio Whole30. Te daremos nuestras mejores recomendaciones basadas en la ciencia y nuestra vasta experiencia, pero nadie va a ir a tu casa a controlarte. Para obtener más información sobre esta pregunta, haz clic aquí.

Eso no es realmente una pregunta, pero entendemos lo que quieres decir. La Regla de los Panqueques elimina los productos horneados, los alimentos sin frenos y los dulces, incluso si están hechos con ingredientes técnicamente compatibles. Recuerda que el programa no se trata solo de identificar sensibilidades alimentarias. Se trata de crear nuevos hábitos saludables y examinar tu relación emocional con la comida. Es posible que no recurras a todos los alimentos que caen bajo la Regla de los Panqueques, pero te pedimos que los elimines de todos modos. Piensa en esto: si no te gustan mucho los panqueques, las tortillas o las papas fritas, debería ser fácil evitarlos durante 30 días.

Puedes hacerlo si así lo deseas. Algunas personas pueden encontrar que eliminar estos grupos de alimentos durante más de 30 días continúa brindando beneficios en cuanto a energía, sueño, antojos, estado de ánimo, digestión y condición de salud. Si tienes una enfermedad autoinmune, dolor crónico o fatiga crónica, es posible que necesites más de 30 días de eliminación para determinar si este enfoque dietético puede proporcionar beneficios. Sin embargo, a menos que tu proveedor de atención médica lo recomiende, te sugerimos limitar la eliminación a no más de 90 días. Recuerda que el objetivo del Whole30 es llevarte a la libertad alimentaria, donde tomas tus propias decisiones sobre qué alimentos valen la pena y cuáles no. Si sigues las reglas del Whole30 para siempre, eso no es realmente libertad, ¿verdad?

No lo recomendamos. La primera semana o dos del programa pueden ser difíciles, tanto emocional como físicamente. Se necesita tiempo para que tu cuerpo aprenda a quemar grasa en lugar de azúcar, que tus papilas gustativas se adapten, que tus antojos disminuyan y que tu digestión se regularice. Las mejoras en el dolor, la fatiga y otros síntomas pueden tardar aún más en manifestarse. Si te quedas en la fase de eliminación durante menos de 30 días, experimentarías todas las partes difíciles sin experimentar muchos (si es que alguno) de los posibles beneficios. Además, te hiciste una promesa de completar el Whole30, no el Whole22 o el Whole27. Cumple esa promesa contigo mismo, confía en el proceso (y en los resultados de millones de personas que lo han hecho antes que tú) y comprométete firmemente a completar los 30 días.

La investigación sobre hábitos dice que puede tomar desde 18 hasta 254 (!) días para que un hábito se arraigue, dependiendo en gran medida de cuán emocionalmente ligado estés a ese hábito. Sin embargo, un estudio en 2021 encontró que, en promedio, se necesitan 59 días para solidificar un nuevo hábito. Crear nuevos hábitos con la comida puede ser un desafío emocional, pero pedirle a alguien que siga un estricto protocolo de eliminación durante dos meses (o más) no es razonable ni necesario para nuestros propósitos. En nuestra experiencia clínica de más de una década, hemos encontrado que 30 días es el punto óptimo. Es lo suficientemente largo como para que veas resultados drásticos y que cambien tu vida, pero lo suficientemente corto como para que el programa sea alcanzable. (Y cuando consideras de 10 a 14 días de reintroducción, ya estás a tres cuartos del camino hacia ese objetivo de 59 días).

Discutimos la investigación específica detrás de nuestras categorías de eliminación (azúcar añadida, alcohol, granos, lácteos, legumbres y la Regla de los Panqueques) en La Ciencia Detrás de Whole30. Es importante tener en cuenta que aunque estos grupos de alimentos suelen ser problemáticos (en diferentes grados, en un amplio rango de personas), no los eliminamos porque sean “malos”. No existen alimentos universalmente “buenos” o “malos”, y el Whole30 no asigna moralidad a los alimentos. Eliminamos estos grupos porque son desconocidos: pueden ser problemáticos, y no sabrás exactamente si o cómo son problemáticos para ti hasta que los elimines, los reintroduzcas y compares tu experiencia.

Ambos programas ofrecen un período de eliminación de 30 días y una reintroducción estructurada, con el objetivo de identificar sensibilidades alimentarias, crear nuevos hábitos y restablecer una relación saludable con la comida. Los programas Whole30 Original y Whole30 a base de plantas difieren solo en sus fuentes de proteínas y grasas, y en el tiempo que los programas llevan disponibles. El Whole30 Original incluye proteínas de animales de alta calidad y fomenta el uso de algunas grasas animales, mientras elimina legumbres como los cacahuetes y la soja. Whole30 a Base De Plantas no incluye ninguna proteína ni grasa de animal. Utiliza frijoles, lentejas, guisantes, soja, polvos de proteína compatibles, frutos secos y semillas para garantizar una ingesta adecuada de proteínas; y solo incluye fuentes de grasas de origen vegetal. Haz clic aquí para leer las Reglas del Programa Whole30 a Base de Plantas.

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